Actions and Objectives

Andalucía has a major extension of coastal marshes and seagrass meadows along the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. The project will contribute, therefore, to a better understanding of these carbon sink habitats in Andalusia, as well as to its characterization, state of conservation and evolution in the coming decades”.

In Brief

Why has the needed arisen?

We aim to attain the protection of nature through the environmental services generated. We therefore focus on ascertaining the role of blue carbon sinks, since nothing is known about seagrass meadows or marshes. To this end, various actions are going to be performed for the quantification of carbon stocks and analysis of their fixation and accumulation potential, as well as environmental services they generate in relation to mitigation of climate change. As an important precedent for this project, Life Posidonia Andalusia project was developed in Andalusia during 2011-2014. It served, among many other aims, to know the current distribution of the grassland meadows of Andalusia.

More Information

Opportunity

The project becomes critical for the generation of the necessary tools for the inclusion of offsetting projects that may be contained in the future law, since no tools for marine ecosystems exist. With the results obtained in sampling and analyses, and with the help of experts, alternatives, actions, and initiatives, are going to be sought; these may serve to be included in the proposals for offsetting emissions and for conservation actions of these ecosystems, for example through project funding.

Dynamic

We want everyone to become involved: business sectors, professionals, educators, those related to management and media. To this end, workshops, lectures, a road show, informative publications, participatory activities (such as the environmental volunteering POSIMED) are going to be launched. We invite you to participate through the website and newsletter subscription.

Impact monitoring

We are going to measure whether our results are consistent with the objectives of the project. In addition, the carbon footprint of the project is going to be measured since we are committed to CHECK LOGIC mitigating climate change in general.

Networking

We need to communicate, connect with experts, and exchange different points of view. There is a group of experts in the project, and specific encounters to address the issue in detail are scheduled, but if you have something to say or you wish to participate, do not hesitate to enter the website or the social networks of the project, or please write an email:

info@life-bluenatura.eu

General objectives

The Life Natura Blue Andalucía project (LIFE 14 / CCM / ES / 000957), whose duration extends from 1st August, 2015, to 31st December, 2019, has the following objectives:

Quantification of carbon deposits and carbon sequestration rates in the habitats of seagrass and wetlands of Andalusia.

[ithoughts_tooltip_glossary-tooltip href=”#” tooltip-content=”A1 Cartography and characterization of habitats. A2A3 Design and sampling necessary for the evaluation of stocks and carbon flows associated with ecosystems of marine seagrass meadows. C1C2 Calculation of stocks and carbon flows in tidal marsh ecosystems, Posidonia and other seagrass meadows.”]Action related[/ithoughts_tooltip_glossary-tooltip]

Analysis of the evolution of these in the coming decades by means of: the rate of the loss of potential attachment and accumulation of CO2; and the emission/carbon sequestration balance from degraded areas into the atmosphere. With this information, an assessment is intended of the environmental services that these habitats generate related to climate-change mitigation.

[ithoughts_tooltip_glossary-tooltip href=”#” tooltip-content=”C1C2C3 – Economic valuation of blue carbon in Andalucía.”]Actions related[/ithoughts_tooltip_glossary-tooltip]

Exploration and promotion of initiatives that already exist in order to finance conservation projects and the restoration of habitats of blue carbon sinks within policies for the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change, with particular attention to carbon offsetting markets.

Training, dissemination and network implementation: special efforts will also be made to involve key stakeholders that ensure the development of these blue carbon programs in the future (public and private sector).

[ithoughts_tooltip_glossary-tooltip href=”#” tooltip-content=”C4- Redaction of an Andalusia standard of certification for carbon credits. C5- Development of a manual for the generation and funding of certification of blue carbon projects generated by projects of conservation and regeneration of blue carbon habitats- sinks generated. C7- Catalogue of projects for the offsetting of carbon emissions.”]Actions related[/ithoughts_tooltip_glossary-tooltip]

Creation of the necessary instruments, with the maximum guarantees of replicability at the International level, which, in practice, allow these conservation projects to be included in these markets. One of the specific objectives set in the proposal concerns the development of key instruments as standards for the verification of carbon credits, the redaction of projects, and the creation of project catalogues.

[ithoughts_tooltip_glossary-tooltip href=”#” tooltip-content=”C6 – Dialogue and development of carbon offsetting projects for the conservation and regeneration of blue carbon habitats-sinks in Andalusia.”]Actions related[/ithoughts_tooltip_glossary-tooltip]

ACTIONS

To achieve these objectives the following actions will be developed:

A. Preparatory actions

A1 - Cartography and characterization of habitats.

A2 - Design and samples necessary for the evaluation of stocks and carbon flows associated with ecosystems of seagrass meadows.

A3 - Design and samples necessary for the evaluation of carbon stocks and flows associated with tidal marsh ecosystems.

C. Implementation actions

C1 - Calculation of stocks and carbon flows in Posidonia and other seagrasses.

C2 - Calculation of carbon stocks in tidal marsh ecosystems.

C3 - Economic evaluation of blue carbon in Andalusia: strategies for the mitigation of climate change.

C4 - Redaction of an Andalusian standard of certification for projects of conservation of seagrass meadows and tidal marshes.

C5 - Development of a manual for the certification of blue carbon projects generated by the conservation and regeneration of marine meadowsand tidal marshes.

C6 - Dialogue and development of carbon offsettingprojects for the conservation and regeneration of blue carbon in Andalusia.

C7 - Catalogue of Posidonia conservation projects.

D. Monitoring the impact of the project

D1 - Project impact indicators.

E. Communication and Dissemination Actions

E1 - Project communication campaign.

E2 - Awareness meetings on carbon sources: the conservation of carbon sinks.

E3 - Training workshops for managers and technicians in the development of field inventories and presentation of reports and projects.

E4 - Seminars for decision-makers and leaders in the private sector.

E5 - Training programs for specialized media.

E6 - Itinerant disclosure campaign.

E7 - Technical publications of the project. Scientific-technical monograph.

E8 - Networking: collaboration with related projects and initiatives.

E9 - Layman report and information boards.

F. Project management and monitoring

F1 - CMAOT and AMAYA project management.

F2 - Follow-up and evaluation of the project. Indicator tables.

F3 - Audit.

F4 - Development of a post-Life plan.

Expected results

Estimation of Stocks

Estimation of stocks and flows of carbon sinks of: Posidonia oceanica in the Andalusian Mediterranean, the seagrass sinks in the Bay of Cadiz, the Strait of Gibraltar and in the Odiel marshes, and the tidal marsh sinks in the Bay of Cadiz and Odiel marshes.

Evaluation

Evaluation of mitigation environmental services against climate change generated by these carbon sink habitats.

Selection of Areas

Selection of the area of greatest value and/or the most threatened areas in order to define projects of conservation and revegetation.

Construction of models

Construction of models which enable the dynamics of these sinks to be described: capacity, time and maximum power of accumulation, and even the net rate of CO₂ release in the case of habitat destruction.

New tools

Development of tools for the implementation of strategies for the conservation of carbon sinks: Andalusian Verification Standard of Carbon Credits generated by projects for the offsetting of emissions based on the conservation of Posidonia oceanica.

Skateholders

Generation of a secure network that ensures the involvement of companies and administrations in the carbon market, which in turn ensures the reduction of emissions in the medium-term through the protection of the best blue carbon sinks of our territory.